Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Former Beat Of The Earth leader Phil Pearlman assembled Relatively Clean Rivers in the early '70s and eventually released this excellent rural rock album in 1975. Although Pearlman's first recorded effort was a surf/hot rod 45 entitled Chrome Reversed Rails which appeared on the Fink label in the mid-'60s, it was with Beat Of The Earth that he began to forge a distinctive musical voice. The band was one of the earliest-known experimental bands with a sound reminiscent of their East Coast counterparts, The Velvet Underground, whose influence is often discernable on Relatively Clean Rivers. That said, RCR is recognized by those fortunate enough to have heard it as one of the very finest albums of the era, with a clearly-defined American sound akin to The Grateful Dead in all their American Beauty pomp or CSNY circa Déjà Vu. An album highly recommended to anyone even remotely interested in '70s West Coast music or simply great music in general.

Tracks :

1. Easy Ride2. Journey Through the Valley of O3. Babylon4. Last Flight to Eden5. Hello Sunshine Prelude*6. They Knew What to Say7. The Persian Caravan8. A Thousand Years

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

There's not much to compare this album to, even in the weird musical climate of 1968 -- there are echoes of Country Joe The Fish and the Doors, perhaps, in the mysterioso organ and morbid imagery. Not that Ken Erwin was in the same league as Jim Morrison, or even Country Joe, as a songwriter. But (with the exception of the brassy good-time cut "Underground Music"), psychedelia was very rarely this dementedly gloomy. Occasional pealing bells and curdling screams (to say nothing of the Boschlike cover art) add to the foggy underworld menace. Reissued without authorization in Europe in the 1980s, the 1995 domestic CD is a first-class job: the 12 bonus cuts gather some rare non-LP singles, alternate takes, and previously unreleased songs, and the liner notes feature extensive interviews with Ken Erwin and engineer Steve Longman.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Generic psychedelic rock of the late '60s, with plenty of lengthy meandering jamming and blues-rock guitar licks. The 16-minute "Fruk Juice" (sic) is about the most interesting track, although the excessive length betrays the callow enthusiasm of musicians who listened to the live half of Cream's Wheels of Fire over and over again. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Friday, December 26, 2008

Practiced a very progressive hard rock influenced by Deep Purple (listening to the group's keyboard is inevitable to think of them). They were formed by brothers Angel and Diego Ruiz and his cousin Luis Genil, which respectively touching the guitar, the drums and keyboard, and Jose Torres on bass and vocals.

Born in 1969, as the stormy, but a developer decided to rename a day that went to Madrid to accompany the singer Blume of the Storm.

Many people know them to dry by Storm, but I've seen many times the name of the band as The Storm, so, as you call them.

This LP is very psychedelic, with rudimentary English and Spanish at the time some titles (in the letters could not, censorship is not ...), forgetting that the instrumental .. A curious fact that suffered and many groups of the era was that they had to sing in English to be free from censorship.Also curious is the anecdote for veáis as was the era, which counts Jose Carlos Molina (nu) had to change the name of one of his first bands Dust, censorship was bad because they are called Dust.The fact is that the disc contains songs like the rabid 'I'm busy,' 'Woman mine', 'It's all right' or the instrumental "One man called Fernandez de Cordoba, 'obviously dedicated to one of the greatest entertainers of the scene at the time, or the impressive displays of virtuosity of 'Crazy machine.Leaving on tour and get a major success, particularly in Madrid and Bilbao which become their adoptive cities, but not to forget his beloved Sevilla, which are in love.It is in this era when sharing cartel with the mythical Queen in Barcelona. It was at a performance at the Palacio de los Deportes, where the band was a major feat. The battery personally congratulated them and told them that "what am I going to do one? After your performance, it goes" and even Freddie Mercury fell to congratulate them, and liked him so much the performance of the band, which they wanted to carry on world tour with them, a view supported their manager.Offered them a juicy contract with EMI, but due to problems with Fernandez de Cordoba, was not carried out eventually. (Google translate - Spanish > English )

Very rare album from 1970 from a three piece Canadian band on the same label as Christmas. The album features some late '60's styled hippy psych rock with cool guitar work throughout and covers of tracks such as CSN's "A Long time Coming" Morganfield's "I Just Want to Make Love To You" Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" plus other similar period statements.

Tracks :

1. Woodstock2. A Long Time Coming3. She Caught My Katie4. I Just Want To Make Love To You5. She's Looking Good6. Oh Baby Hold Me7. Watch Yourself8. Gimme Shelter9. She Moves Me not rated10. Mama, What About Your Daughter11. Spring Fever

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Do not get confused this Polish band with san Francisco-based thrash metal band with Metallica’ Kirk Hammet. This one is a symphonic prog band established in 1976. They used to play mainly at the Warsaw student club Riviera-Remont where they had a lot of young fans. In the first half of 80-ies Exodus had a tournee in the USSR and West Germany. They recorded a few TV programs, did many radio recordings and released a few singles that were received very well. But singles don't adequately render the specific character of their music. They had the tendency for creating bigger forms of music and wanted their concerts to become para-theatrical shows.

In 1980 they released the first album “The Most Beautiful Day” where they placed a few shorter lyrical tracks and 20-minute great title suite. So, Exodus came out into picture around the same time with Marillion, IQ, Pallas and pendragon. At that time no one claimed a music like neo-progressive even though this album reminds me so (with more symphonic prog, actually).

The main attraction of this album is its Polish language being used as lyrics. It makes the music much joyful compared with if the music is in English. The first track “Ci wybrani” (4:42) serves like a hard rock music with raw drumming sounds. But the next track changes to a bit like “I Believe in Father Christmas” of ELP, especially on the way acoustic guitar is used nicely here. “Zloty promien slonca” (5:15)with its long sustain multi-layered keyboards makes a nice symphonic prog music. “Widok Z góry najwyzszej” (5:45) explores Hackettian guitar with keyboard solo. The music flows mellow with keyboard and nice melody while guitar fills dominate the rhythm section. The attention is probably on the epic “Ten najpiekniejszy dzien” which consumes 19:20 minutes of duration. This epic makes this album truly an excellent one with its energy, dynamics and multi-structure of the composition. You might find the music in a similar vein with Steve Hackett’s early works like “Please Don’t Touch” or “Voyage of The Acolyte” with some flavors of Genesis. Even though influences from other bands are unavoidable, but the composition is really excellent. There are many music breaks in symphonic style using long sustain keyboard work.

Overall, I conclude that this is an excellent addition to any prog music collection.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

I don't hear it very often that a band is compared to Van Der Graaf Generator. In the bio, Rumple Stiltzken Comune (I'll call them RSC from now on...) are described as a combination of VDGG and PFM. It took a while before I knew this description is accurate in some degree at least. But before I was at that point, I was enchanted by the music of this album. Yes, a beautiful album.

What part of VDGG is in their music, is the sound. I can't describe it very well, but it's the way the organ sounds, or some of the melodies or changes therein. If the singer sings very high, it is remotely reminiscent of Hammill's voice. But for the better part, RSC are less heavy, less melancholic. They sound happier. And that's where PFM comes in. The band played a lot of gigs with those Italians, and like the bio says, the band's music is more like Italian Seventies' prog. Where VDGG could be very agressive, RSC are more mysterious. VDGG could sound like you're in Dante's Inferno, RSC make you feel like you're listening to Alice In Wonderland. But please note that you don't have to like VDGG to like this. Let not this comparison scare you away.In the faster movements, the music also reminds me of American bands Lift and Pentwater. Complex, but not too complex, and still very melodic.

That's the objective part. I couldn't think of any other ways to describe the music, and hope it's enough to make you curious to listen to this wonderful album. I like it very much, because it's not too complex, very melodic, and moody, dark, mysterious. Sad at times, and a bit melancholic at times.

Then there's the production. The letter I received tells me this is the first Black Rills Records re-issue that has been remixed. I don't have the original LP, so I can't compare, but I do know that this is a very good production, easily comparable to the better productions from the Seventies. And the album is definitely worth it! I hope I have made you curious to listen to this album. Especially those who know my musical preferences from my previous reviews, and think we share musical interest, this is highly recommended stuff! It is among the best records in my collection. (Jerry van Kooten)

Tracks :

Flipping (7:19Wrong From The Beginning (8:17)To Be Or Not To Be (8:21)The Closed Boy (9:57)

Stone the Crows, fronted by the absolutely dynamite Maggie Bell (remember the female voice in Rod Stewart's "Every Picture Tells a Story"?), were a band that never scored an audience in America, though they should have. They were a relatively established act in England, where their heavy brand of psychedelic blues-rock went over big in clubs and with crowds. These nine cuts on the Strange Fruit label represent Stone the Crows doing what they did best -- playing live (albeit in a radio studio). Les Harvey was a monster guitarist who had heard Jimi Hendrix and took in his sense of feeling and time in digging into the blues and rock, rather than trying just to ape his method. The 13-minute version of Bob Dylan's "The Ballad of Hollis Brown" is a testament to that. There is also a fantastic workout of Bell's "Freedom Road" here. James Dewar, who left later to become the Robin Trower Band's vocalist, is represented here by two of his originals, "Friend" and "Raining in Your Heart." This first volume of these recordings is indispensable to anyone looking at the hard rocking British heavy blues of the late '60s and early '70s. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Sunday, December 21, 2008

"Eve of Destruction" was so present on the airwaves at its height in 1965 that as it ended play on one station, it would start up on another, a dominating hit single which charted higher than any protest song written by Bob Dylan, the man whose own "Masters of War" must have inspired P.F. Sloan's classic protest song. Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" came close, stalling under the upper reaches of the Top 40 two weeks before McGuire grabbed the brass ring. McGuire even cut "Master's of War," appearing on his 1994 One Way Records Anthology album and evidence of the typecasting which decimated what should have been a huge radio presence beyond this title track and first and only hit. Five years before Ricky Nelson would chart with Dylan's "She Belongs to Me," McGuire makes it the first of two Dylan covers, throwing the similarities right in the listener's face. A Steve Barri/P.F. Sloan title, "You Never Had It So Good," follows that, and the theme and model becomes a bit redundant. Sure, people had commercialized the songs of Bob Zimmerman, but not to the extent where the man behind Carole King's eventual solo success, Lou Adler, along with the Grass Roots' initial production team of Sloan and Barri, would take a former New Christy Minstrel and turn him into a radio-friendly copy of the world-famous protest singer. Engineer Bones Howe, P.F. Sloan, Barri, and McGuire redesign the traditional "Sloop John B," a version that is much different from the Beach Boys', and it's a wise move which backslides and is eradicated as they go after Dylan's "Baby Blue," truly branding the innovative soul that is Barry McGuire. At least his reading of Sylvia Fricker's "You Were on My Mind" is original enough, though McGuire can't hit the notes the We Five's Beverly Bivens easily reached. The pulsating cover of the Ian & Sylvia tune doesn't come close to the We Five's arrangement and majesty which charted simultaneous with "Eve of Destruction," but it works so much better than the "imitation Bob" which permeates this package. The Beach Boys took the traditional "Sloop John B" Top Three in 1966, but McGuire did it first, and he also pre-dated Gladys Knight with a version of the standard "Try to Remember" ten years before she brought the title to popular radio. It is these three notable other covers which succeeded for Barry McGuire and indicated his potential. The man has tons of talent, as witnessed on his Christian albums like Lighten Up, and the dark sounds of his classic moment in the sun and gravelly voice (which probably influenced Alex Chilton) deserved much more success.

Tracks :

Eve of Destruction She Belongs to Me You Never Had It So Good Sloop John B. Baby Blue The Sins of a Family Try to Remember Mr. Man on the Street [Act One] You Were on My Mind Ain't No Way I'm Gonna Change My Mind What Exactly's the Matter With Me Why Not Stop and Dig It While You Can

Fred Cole’s mid-70s album is as uncompromising as anything he’s done. His vocal style is especially strident on these hard rock songs, which don’t have the garage-style feel of Dead Moon or the occasional subtleties of Lollipop Shoppe. The first song is a bunch of raunchy double-entendres. Pretty twisted. There’s a kind of saminess as this album moves along, probably due to uninspired songwriting. Still, this is worth hearing. It’s unique and wild. The cover is handmade to the extreme.

Tracks :

BulletsBorn YesterdayThe Same Old SongFace Of Stone Ballbustin' Woman Scars Rollin' And Tumblin' Worry Kills A Woman Let It FreezeBehind The Door Racing For A Dollar

Standing in the shadow of bands like Floyd or Procol and emerging in the late sixties hippie underground scene heavily inspired by Indian culture this wonderful band has been all too often overlooked and underestimated. But in some way they had been far ahead their times in what they were doing and might be considered highly influential for what would be known many years after as world or new age music (as Chris Welch, busy for MM in those days pointed out in his liner notes for the CD re-release). In fact those guys had been brought together by an announcement in Melody Maker magazine and lead vocals of Australian born Phil Jones (aka Shiva Shankar) as well as the delightful flute play of Ronald Rothfield (aka Raja Ram) should become characteristic for their sound. The line-up had been completed by Alan Mostert on lead guitar, Dave Codling (aka Maha Dev) on rhythm guitar, Sambhu Babaji playing bass and Jeremy “Jake” Milton on drums. Soon after their foundation the band signed to Island Records later better known for hosting bands like Jethro Tull for example. Picking up eastern influences in the music of the “Fav Four” inspired by Harrison’s India trips and reinforcing the general fashionable trend of late sixties psychedelic bands they created a kind of perfect “quintessence” of western pop/rock/jazz and Indian raga music. Though they’ve been mainly attracted by Hinduisms also spiritual influences by Buddhism and Christianity can be found in their songs. During their heyday they managed to fill places like the Royal Albert Hall with their splendid concerts and they also played at the prestigious Montreaux Jazz Festival.

The balance between east and west in their music used to be shifted more in favour of western influences making it quite approachable for people being not that much familiar with Indian classical spiritual music. This applies even stronger in the case of their remarkable debut from 1969 here in review. In fact there’s only one traditional chant on here with track no. 5 titled not so imaginatively as such. The opener "Giants" presents a nice blend of song-based Indian flavoured psychedelic pop and some more jam-oriented elements and one can easily imagine that this song might have inspired contemporary bands like Ozric Tentacles as well as some more commercially directed one like Cornershop, Kula Shaker and so on. In “Manco Capac” Raja Ram’s shiny flute play comes into action and this track offers in particular a great bluesy break by Alan Mostert. “Body” comes closer to hard rock territory in terms of the guitar sound but nicely balanced by Shiva’s vocals and Raja Ram’s flute as well as some occasional keyboards (which were usually only sparsely present in their music). One can imagine a mix of Cream and Tull here. Revealing stronger eastern touches "Gange Mai" is a more playful and highly rhythmic track getting into a type of repetitive, hypnotising mood especially due to the vocals and the flute. But there’s as well a lot of rock to be found here. “Chant” has droning sitar tunes and combines a “Hare Krishna” routine with an old English carol making up to a wonderful unification of eastern and western spiritual culture. In "Pearl and Bird" Shiva presents his strongest vocal performance on this record revealing an extraordinary range of his voice. "Notting Hill Gate" which had been released as well as a single quite reminds to what Jade Warrior did on their first two albums one or two years after with the difference of sitar added here. The original edition had been concluded by the ambitious track "Midnight Mode" starting with some chanting followed by an extended flute solo and some guitar jamming. It finally fades out with some continous heavy drone. That one together with “Chant” is certainly the least accessible track on here. The CD re-issue contains as bonus the single version of "Notting Hill Gate" and its B-side “Move Into The Light” sounding very commercially though and not really worth mentioning.

Though probably being not really an essential one in Prog “In Blissful Company” should be considered an excellent debut of an usually forgotten band that combined religious and spiritual influences with psychedelic and early progressive rock music in a highly appealing (at least for me) and approachable manner. Certainly this kind of music will not appeal to everybody – rock fans might find it to esoteric and for puristic followers of raga prog it will probably sound too poppy. Nevertheless I think this band (especially their first two albums) should not be dismissed by anyone who doesn’t mind some eastern flavour in his Prog.(Dieter Fischer)

Friday, December 19, 2008

2001 compilation for UK act featuring prog-rock veteran Bill MacCormick. Contains the evidence of Random Hold's musical progress, from an early Rhodes/Ferguson collaboration, through the various demos recorded by the Ainley/Leach five-piece and ending with the last demos recorded prior to the band's last journey to the USA.

Straight out of the Roxy / Eno / Manzanera / Gabriel school of progressive pop-rock, i.e. quirky yet polished and professional. Featured David Rhodes (Gabriel) on guitar and Bill McCormack (Manzanera, Quiet Sun) on bass. Produced by Peter Hammill (Van Der Graaf Generator), and his influence is felt.Random Hold is a person and a group, the person being Ian McCormick, the band composed of many of his mates from Phil Manzanera's 801, aside from Manzanera himself. Not surprisingly, the music is not unlike some of the artistes for whom Manzanera played over the years: Eno, early Roxy Music, et al. The band's first release was a self-titled EP in 1979, followed the next year by a full-length album The View From Here, produced by Peter Hammill. His influence can be heard in McCormick's overdramatic vocals, also perhaps influenced in part by Eno. There is some excellent synth playing here, and bits of good guitarwork. Best track is probably "With People Out Of Love," which builds slowly to a vicious climax. Etceteraville is a compilation of tracks from View and the EP. -- Mike Ohman

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Potemkine managed to blend in a very good way the basis of Zeuhl music with its prominent bass role and a lighthearted spirit of fusion with some 20th century contemporary music. They this deviate from the norm of “mainstream” Zeuhl, but they manage to deliver an original sound, making them unique in this scene. Potemkine was formed by three brothers from Toulouse – Charles (guitars, piano, vocals), Philippe (drums and percussions, piano) and Michel (piano, vocals) Goubin. They had taken other musicians to fill in the positions of bass, violin and some drumming and percussions parts. They released their first album Foetus in 1975. This album was more influenced by Magma, though it contained the fusion leniency. In 1977 Triton was released and it featured a more clear inclination towards a fusion sound, but the Zeuhl characteristics are still there (in the bass part, theatrical piano playing and the occasional chanting vocals) and also the chamber music sound that would later appear in RIO originators bands such as Univers Zero. This approach reached its peak in Nicolas II released in 1978 which also marks their last album. You can get both Triton and Nicolas II on CD from SOLEIL ZEUHL.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

On some obscure releases of the early '70s, Majority One wrote and recorded material in the manner of some of the more foppish late-'60s British psychedelic pop, though the style had been out of fashion for a couple of years or so. The group evolved out of the U.K. band the Majority, who issued eight singles on Decca between 1965 and 1968 without reaching the British charts. After a lot of personnel turnover and a spell backing British singer Barry Ryan, the group moved to France and issued one final single as the Majority, "Charlotte Rose," though this was only released in some European territories. In 1970, still based in France, they changed their name to Majority One, issuing a few singles in 1970 and 1971 and a self-titled album in 1971, though the latter only came out in France and Holland at the time. With some similarities to the more lightweight efforts of the late-'60s Beatles, Bee Gees, and Moody Blues, Majority One's efforts passed unnoticed in their homeland, though their 1971 single "Because I Love" made the Top 20 in Holland, also becoming a hit in Italy and Brazil. Majority One also released some tracks under the names Black Label and Rocky Cabbage, but disbanded in the summer of 1971. Much of the material issued by Majority One, including some of the tracks released under the names the Majority, Black Label, and Rocky Cabbage, was assembled for the 2006 CD compilation Rainbow Rockin' Chair: The Definitive Collection 1969-1971. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Tracks :

Glass Image Hard Days NightCigarette, a Cup of TeaDepths of My MindFeedbackFriday ManGet Back HomeI Don't MInd The RainI Nearly DiedI See Her EverywhereLooks Like RainLove Came TodayRainbow Rocking ChairReverationRoger La FriteWait By The Fire

For an album created by a revolving group of friends from three separate bands, Shadrack Chameleon is quite a cohesive little surprise. Steve Fox is the only constant on each of the eight songs on the album, and, in a way, could be considered Shadrack Chameleon since his guitar, bass, songwriting, and vocal talents come to the forefront. Fox's thinnish vocals can be an acquired taste, but he is a strong, instinctive writer. A Jimmy Page influence (almost inevitable during the period) is discernible in the interesting, mystical chords and changes on the album. The band is certainly not a Zeppelin soundalike, though, because the changes that Fox and sometime-partner Randy Berka conceived are countered by a gentle acoustic feel and a languid rather than dynamic pulse. The band can employ a beautiful, stomping country-rock style, as on the opening cut "I Wonder Why," with its ensemble vocal hook (reminiscent of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Lucky Man") and organ, or it can be a heavier progressive rock outfit, as on "Long Road to Ole' Miss" and "Granite Feast." Mostly, though, Shadrack Chameleon might be termed progressive folk, and songs like "That's the Way It's Gotta Be" and "Don't Let It Get You Down" reveal strummed chording that comes out sounding almost claustrophobic and is a good match for each song's subject matter. The members of Shadrack didn't lack ambition, either; "Chameleon (I Love You)" is an epic ballad with seemingly two songs combined into one, while the album ends on the spare acoustic-to-electric drone of "Beyond Eternity." The album ultimately passes by in an almost lazy haze and is occasionally accomplished, but too often Shadrack Chameleon sounds, if not uninspired, uninterested or flat.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band was formed when Scottish rock veteran Alex Harvey recruited members of hard rock group Tear Gas at the beginning of the 70's. Although most people associate them with their big hit 'Delilah', the band were already well established on the rock circuit, due to their theatrical show, and their destinctive style of music. The band split up at the end of 1977 just after a tour had been announced, with Alex resurrecting his solo career and the rest of the group forming the short-lived Zal band with guitarist Billy Rankin & ex-Tubes member Leroi.

Alex did a show at the London Palladium 1978 which got mixed reviews, then formed the 'Alex Harvey Band', which recorded 'The Mafia Stole My Guitar', They did a tour in 1978, but then dissapeared. After several years out of the limelight, Alex seemed ready to return in 1982 with a new album 'Soldier On The Wall' ready for release, and a tour in Europe. Sadly the album was to be his requiem, as he died whilst waiting for a ferry in Belgium that same year.

The remaining members of SAHB re-formed for a number of one-off gigs in the 90's, with various vocalists, but in 2004 decided to re-form on a permanent basis. Although no new material has been released, the band are touring regularly, and have brought out a live CD and DVD.

Alex Harvey was a British journeyman rocker who enjoyed a brief period of widespread popularity in the mid-'70s after decades of struggle. Growing up in Scotland, he turned to music in his late teens and was in a skiffle band by 1955. By 1959, it had evolved into the Alex Harvey Big Soul Band. Harvey took the group to Hamburg, West Germany in the early '60s, there recording his first LP, Alex Harvey and His Soul Band, in the fall of 1963, which did not feature the band. He and his group made their London debut in February 1964, and the same year he recorded The Blues, which essentially was a solo record. In 1965, Harvey dissolved the Big Soul Band and later returned to Glasgow. But he was back in London in 1967, assembling Giant Moth, a psychedelic group that existed only for a short time. He then accepted a job working in the pit band of the musical Hair and while doing so recorded Having a Hair Rave up Live from the Shaftsbury Theatre. In 1969, he released Roman Wall Blues, his first solo effort in five years. Up to this point, none of his musical efforts had attracted much attention. But in the early '70s, he recruited the Scottish band Tear Gas -- consisting of Zal Cleminson, Chris Glen, Hugh McKenna, and Ted McKenna -- christening the resulting quintet the Sensational Alex Harvey Band.

Their first two albums, Framed (1972) and Next (1973), didn't sell, but in the fall of 1974 The Impossible Dream became Harvey's first chart record in the U.K. (It briefly made the American charts in March 1975.) Tomorrow Belongs to Me followed in the spring of 1975, hitting the Top Ten along with the Top Ten singles placing of Harvey's flamboyant cover of the Tom Jones hit "Delilah." With that, Next belatedly made the charts, and in September Sensational Alex Harvey Band Live came out and reached the Top 20 (also making the Top 100 in the U.S), as "Gamblin' Bar Room Blues" became a Top 40 single. This commercial success continued into 1976, with Penthouse Tapes entering the LP charts in April and becoming a Top 20 hit, "Boston Tea Party" making the singles charts in June and making a Top 20 showing, and SAHB Stories following in July and just missing the Top Ten.

In 1977, Harvey and the band recorded separately, SAHB without Alex (as it was billed) issuing Fourplay, while the leader made Alex Harvey Presents the Loch Ness Monster. A final album together, Rock Drill, was followed by the group's breakup. Harvey was back with his New Band in 1979 and an album called The Mafia Stole My Guitar, but his moment, so long in coming, had passed. Nevertheless, he kept on rocking and was on tour in Belgium when he succumbed to a heart attack in 1982 just before his 47th birthday. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Monday, December 15, 2008

Bloodrock may not be as well remembered today as the aforementioned groups, but their first release remains a cult favorite amongst fans of hard rock. Their sound is reminiscent to Deep Purple, with electric guitar and organ dueling over a throbbing beat. However, Jim Rutledge's gruff, whisky-throated vocals lend a rural tinge to the group's music that sets them apart. As expected for a heavy metal band, the songwriting themes tend to be pretty ominous: "Double Cross" is a gleeful hymn to revenge, and "Timepiece" recounts the final thoughts of a death row prisoner about to be sent to the gallows. The band doesn't always know when to edit their jams ("Timepiece"), and some of the songs feel more like a collection of riffs than fully thought out compositions ("Wicked Truth"), but the group's powerful attack helps smooth over the rough spots to make an engaging slab of proto-metal. The album's highlights are the final two songs: "Fantastic Piece of Architecture" uses an a combination of Doors-like funereal organ and piano to create a creepy atmosphere, and "Melvin Laid an Egg" blends pile-driving riffs with gentle bridges of piano and harmony vocals to bring its surreal lyric about a freak show dwelling capitalist to life.

In 1978, a small christian folk rock band in Edinburgh released a farewell album to celebrate six years of making music together. The album was made on a shoestring budget and only 500 copies were pressed. The musicians went their separate ways.

Thirty years later, the record has become a collectors item. A CD version is available on Amazon and it has been described as one of the best folk rock albums of the seventies.

The Studio

The album was recorded in a tiny home studio in Edinburgh - known to aficionados as ‘Barclay Towers’. No idea what kind of technology was involved, save the incessant fiddling with EQ to try and filter out the buzz of a fluorescent light strip over the cooker that was inadvertently left on during one take.

We recorded over two successive Sundays and mixed at a third session. It was four track reel to reel recording ……. live with occasional overdubs.

Instrumentation

For us as musicians, highlights included using a cup and teaspoon to create the latin style percussion on ‘Maker Man’.

For the recording we borrowed Ever After’s Fender Rhodes but still depended upon my own Crumar Compac Piano which had three sounds: piano, clavichord and harpsichord. I bought it for £100 second hand. There was no touch sensitivity, but it seemed very modern at the time. All organ type sounds were played using the piano setting whilst sliding the volume control from 0 (when hitting the key) to the appropriate volume, to avoid the attack at the start of the note.

I played an Ibanez classical guitar on Maker Man that was bought in 1969. I sold my ‘Smiley Joe’ banjolele to raise money for the transaction. I’ve recently been buying ukuleles again to use in primary school work in my region!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Blackfoot Sue was a British pop/rock group of the 1970s whose members were Tom Farmer (b.1952 03 02, Birmingham, England) (bass, keyboards, vocals), his twin brother Dave Farmer (b.1952 03 02, Birmingham, England) (drums), Eddie Galga (b.1951 09 04, Birmingham, England) (guitar, keyboards), and Alan Jones (b.1950 01 05, Birmingham, England) (guitar, vocals). Their "Standing in the Road" was a U.K. Top Ten hit in 1972, but they were written off as a teen sensation and broke up in 1977. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Fantasia Lindum was an album released by the band Amazing Blondel in 1971. It featured the style of music which they described as "pseudo-Elizabethan/Classical acoustic music sung with British accents". The album title is taken from the musical sequence which makes up the first side of the album: a fantasia is a free musical composition with its roots in the art of improvisation; Lindum is the latin name for the city of Lincoln.The music throughout the album features Amazing Blondel's unique blend of their own compositions with folk themes and renaissance music. The album's cover art (credited to Visualeyes) suggests a historical setting around the Civil War period, but the music has more of the vitality of the Elizabethan period. A variety of instruments were used, but the central sound is of the two lutes, played by Gladwin and Baird, with wind instruments played by Wincott.

The "Fantasia Lindum" sequence, which makes up the first side of the album, is the band's musical tribute to the city of Lincoln, the Lincolnshire countryside and the mediaeval Lincoln Cathedral. It is an ambitious suite of songs and instrumental pieces featuring recurring musical themes.

The second side includes two madrigal-like songs ("To Ye" and "Three Seasons Almaine") and two instrumental dance tunes. There is a hymn-like song ("Safety In God Alone"), which sounds much more based in the twentieth-century than the remainder of the album, having a harmonic structure more like that developed by bands such as The Eagles. The album concludes with the brash "Siege of Yaddlethorpe", a "pipe and drum" instrumental piece featuring Wincott's (presumably multi-tracked) crumhorns and a guest appearance of Jim Capaldi playing (again presumably multi-tracked) military-style snare drums.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Frolk Haven - At The Apex of High LP. Original rare 70s progressive psychedelic acid trip record with plenty of free-from insanity ala Captain Beefheart, Zappa and the twilight zone. Features a young Stuart "Barfalonious" Copeland on drums a while before he would join the Police and strike it rich.Repro of super rare early '70s off the wall acid Madness often compared to Ya Ho Wa.... Varied instumentation... psych jams with melody and chaotic strangeness... featuring Stewart Copeland (Curved Air/The Police) when he was at College!!

Startlingly heavy progressive group, sounding more like a modern group such as Absolute Zero than one from '72. Most likely the album was a one-off project, as the boys recorded and released it themselves while in college in England. The group consisted of just two people: Charles "the Zilch" Ostman (Guitars, Clarinets, Bass, Vocals, electronics) and Stewart Copeland (Drums, additional percussion). Charles Ostman wrote all of the songs and is the only performer on 3 of the album's 7 tracks. Anyone know what happened to him? Stewart of course went on to Curved Air, the Police, Animal Logic, and a fruitful solo career. His performance here is similar to his work on Curved Air's Midnight Wire, but less restrained.

The sound on this album is different, frequently comparable to Absolute Zero or the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but generally it is their own. Very Eastern sounding, and pretty complex despite being very nearly a one-man show. The vocal sections are often interspersed with long dreamy, clarinet-laden instrumental passages. No, I kid you not: the clarinet is one of the most prominent instruments on this album, second only to the guitar. The vocals are soft, USA-accented, and subtly emotional - in fact they sound a lot like Stewart Copeland's, for those of you who have heard his vocals. Fuzz, Acid, and Flowers describes the album as being tedious, but in fact much of the album is quite exciting, and really the "tedious" parts are the most interesting. Still, this is a record which requires diligent listening, and if you're not willing to give that you should stay away because this record will bore you.

The album opens with the 12-minute "Oracle of Delphi". It starts with an apocalyptic outburst: a harrowing bass line leading the way for a serious of vicious assaults on percussion and guitar. This gives way to post-apocalyptic, eerily quiet meanderings on guitar and clarinet, with soft-spoken vocal passages. All in all, a fascinating epic. "Idiomatic Interlude" is actually a pretty well-developed instrumental with odd rhythms and quirky clarinet playing, very soulful in fact. "Cyclation" rounds out side A, starting on another haunting and dreamy instrumental passage before the more traditional song form steps forward, with Charles and Stewart delivering a Hendrix Experience-styled powerhouse performance.

Side B of Apex is less impressive than A but still very good. "Zonation of Galactic Cosmodial Entities" is an effect-oriented but imaginative instrumental, while "Back Up!" is a soft of electric folk tune with the usual gracings of clarinet and decidedly weird lyrical subject matter (getting drugged, kidnapped, and hurled into a time warp). "Quest" is perhaps the most enjoyable tune on the album, opening with a guitar solo done to such high tones that it sounds like weeping. A somewhat symphonic and very emotional song. The wittily titled "7th Shakra" is a 10-minute instrumental, starting with a sinister verse/chorus before Charles Ostman abandons form and goes completely loopy on guitar and clarinet. Very introspective stuff. The one minus is that Charles throws too many solos on top of the verse/chorus.

I really have to rate At the Apex of High as one of the most interesting albums I've ever heard, despite the weak sound quality. It's clear the album had to be recorded on home equipment, with Charles singing very softly so as not to drown out the other instruments. Aside from that, I think the demo quality sound is in fact quite appropriate. This is heavily experimental stuff, and anyone who likes bizarre excursions should check it out: guitar freak-outs, mesmerizing clarinet, percussion romping, timorous bass, disturbingly odd lyrics -- Frolk Haven's sole album has it all, and all of it with clear plan and purpose at that. The only drawback is its rarity, so my first move would be to pester all the record companies to get this thing re-released; it's a classic! -- Robert Orme

Recorded on acid in a cave and divided into "smoke" and "acid" sides, this sincerely fried album is a zonated cavernous assemblage of hissing and groaning electronic generators, bongos, flutes and overlapping electric/acoustic guitar layers that sounds like it would have been equally at home in Conrad Schnitzler's Zodiac Free Arts Lab.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

''SLACK ALICE'' are a five/six piece blues outfit hailing from the north west of England. Innovative, dynamic and unleashed, they create their own genre of gut busting blues to rock for. Comprising of--- Cliff Stocker-vocals---Malc Crossley-Bass---Chris Preston & Colin Redmond-lead guitars---Chris Tattersall-drums, their flamboyant style surpasses the conventional boundaries and elevates ''SLACK ALICE'' into the 21st century.

''SLACK ALICE''---A BRIEF HISTORY

Although we may seem youthful, we've probably been around since time began. ''SLACK ALICE'' was a[ product and eventually a casualty of the 70's rock era]. Despite major media and record interest, our need to retain artistic control was paramount---and unfortunately fame slipped from our grasp. We like to think that our songs reflect the trials and tribulations of a band that's been on the road for a long, long time, conveying the meaning of a lifetime of performing in pubs, clubs, festivals and even the occasional toilet!!. Though at times we all felt like giving up---the dream kept us going--- as it does now and we hope it always will.

Tracks :

The way women are madeMississippiGet your shoes onToo young to sing the bluesMight as well get drunkCity bred country boyStreet girl bluesThe bottle songGreenfingered bluesLet the rock roll inThere goes another dreamPick up a heartFallingMy little girl

1970 album from Swedish singer and Petula Clark wanna-be Doris (Svensson), re-issued on CD (with bonus tracks) by EMI in 1996. Includes a cover of Richard Manuel's "Whispering Pines."

This LP marks the highlight in the career of a talented Nordic blond vocalist - Doris Svensson from Gothenburg, Sweden. It seems as though she's finally managed to find and record a set of songs that suit her 100%. Maybe this isn't surprising when you consider the musical genius that went into writing and scoring the album. Most of the material was written and arranged by TV producer, jazz-pianist, composer, "rarely-out-of-the-news-man-about-town" Berndt Egerbladh. Lyrical assistance was generously provided by a 6 foot kiltless Scottish giant, Francis Cowan. Francis also plays the cello on a few tracks which explains why he's kiltless. Anyway, quite a combination which gave a fantastic result, with a little help from the producer Håkan Sterner. Incidentally, Håkan found the job so exciting that he was forced to retreat behind a beard after its completion.

Doris' album provides 36 minutes of qualified musical jou guaranteed to satisfy all tastes. Discotheques will find that two numbers in particular, "Don't" and "Beatmaker" are good box office draws. Jazz die-hards might even start visiting discotheques after digesting "I wish I knew" and "I'm pushing you out". Note too an incredible ballad called "Daisies" and tell me if Sweden hasn't produced a dangerous competitor for Melanie.

Once again, this LP's got something for everybody, the best of underground, jazz, rock and folk - not mixed up in one gigantic hotch-potch, but all in gentle harmony. Listen to Doris - a good time will be has by all.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

SOD was a bluesy Rock outfit from LA with a lot of beards and bad 70s long hair. To top it all off, their percussion player Jay York was a professional wrestler from the NWA! They put out two albums, and I think this is the better of the two, although the other one gets mentioned because David Axelrod did some production on it. The band gets right down to business with Too Loose To Get Tight Pt. 1 with a nice long drum break intro that leads into some funky Rock. Pt. 2 of the song is even better since it’s mostly an instrumental. Things I Wanna Say is in a similar vein with some nice horn work. In fact, the whole first side is a pretty good listen. The flipside though, isn’t half as interesting. There is another drum break on Makin It though.(Soulstrut (Motown67))

This Canadian band truly sounds like nobody else. They have a matter-of-fact, almost comic vocal style and goofy lyrics, and music with a strong pop sense but plenty of quirks. They’re too professional to be called garage, the vocals not melodic enough to be “pop,” and too musically creative to be “novelty.” Comparisons to Zappa are way off the mark (though he would be just gross enough to write a song about lancing a boil). They’re closer to 70s prog and pop weirdos like Oho or R. Stevie Moore, or even 90s indie-pop bands like Pavement. Both of their albums contain some unexpectedly interesting guitar work and a few psychedelic songs. I like them a lot; they’re unique, the songs are memorable and they’re never dull. The pressing history is a bit complex: the mono includes 'Golden Girl', while the stereo mix includes 'I can still hear them laughing' instead of 'Golden girl' and also has edits and voices not on the mono.

Tracks : Golden GirlBlack PotatoNothin' ButRising Of The SunThe Crushing Hand Of Mother We'll Bring You Flowers For Your WallI Can Still Hear Them LaughingCan I SqueezeThe Energy Ritual